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By turning off the tap while
brushing your teeth or shaving,
you can save more than 200
gallons of water per month. |
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Take shorter showers. You
can also reduce the amount of
water you use by installing
faucet aerators or turning the
water down or off while you soap
up.
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Fix leaky faucets. Faucets
that leak one drip per second
can waste more than 3,000
gallons of water each year and a
leaky toilet can waste up to
200 gallons of water each day!
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Unplug unused electronics.
Your cell phone charger still
consumes electricity even when a
phone isn't connected to it.
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In the average home, 25% of the
electricity used to power home
electronics is consumed while
the products are turned off.
Stop "phantom loads" when
devices are not in use, by
unplugging them or connecting
them to power strips, which can
then be turned off. |
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Use cloth bags for grocery
shopping instead of paper or
plastic bags. |
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Recycling materials saves energy
and landfill space, conserves
natural resources, and also
prevents pollution.
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Recycling one ton of paper
saves17 mature trees, 7,000
gallons of water, three cubic
yards of landfill space, two
barrels of oil, and 4,100
kilowatts of electricity --
enough energy to power the
average US home for five months.
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Buy recycled products.
Look for the "post consumer" or
"recycled" when shopping.
There are over 4,500
recycled-content products
available including paper
towels, printer paper, notepads,
packing boxes, sleeping bags,
laundry detergent bottles, glass
containers, nails, carpeting,
trash cans, and trash bags.
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Food travels and average 1,200
miles before it reaches your
plate, so buy locally produced
items to save energy and prevent
emissions from going into the
air.
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Organic foods are both good for
the environment and good for
your health because they are not
grown using conventional
pesticides and fertilizers.
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When possible, choose fresh
foods instead of frozen, since
frozen foods require 10 times
more energy to produce.
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When you need to replace home
appliances, electronics,
windows, and roofing look for
the ENERGY STAR seal, it meets
certain energy efficiency
standards.
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Replace burnt out incandescent
light bulbs with the Compact
Fluorescent Lights (CFL).
ENERGY STAR labeled CFLs use up
to 75% less energy and last up
to 10 times longer than
incandescent bulbs, saving an
average of $30 over a lifetime
of each bulb. To maximize
their effectiveness, check the
packaging to make sure that each
CFL is the proper type and
wattage for your lamps. Be
sure to dispose of your burnt
out bulbs properly with your
local recycling stations.
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Utilize computer power
management that enables
low-power sleep modes when not
in use and turn off computers
and monitors at night.
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Properly dispose hazardous waste
electronics, CFLs, certain
batteries, and other household
hazardous wastes which contain
toxic materials - so they won't
be sent to landfills where they
can pollute the surrounding land
and water.
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What Have You Done
Green Today? |
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Drive a fuel
efficient or hybrid vehicle, use
public transportation, carpool,
or walk when you can! |
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Install a programmable
thermostat to lower the heat in
your home when you're at work. |
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Remove unnecessary items from
your car to reduce the weight,
saving gas. |
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Use email instead of paper
correspondence. |
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Sign up for electronic
statements for utility bills and
credit card billing statements.
Use the online bill pay feature
through your banking institution
for electronic payments.
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